Naruto: Hero in Life, Baka in Love
by wingedmercury
Summary: It's just after the war with Pein- Our hero confesses his love to Sakura, but what will he do when Hinata discovers the incriminating evidence of their kiss? Romance, Comedy, Drama.  Rated T for language. NarxSak, NarxHin?
1. Chapter 1: Confession

It's just after the war with Pein, and the village is decimated. Our hero confesses his love to Sakura, but what will he do when Hinata discovers the incriminating evidence of their kiss? Romance, Comedy, Drama. Rated T+ for language. Hope you like your fanfic long! I've written up to chapter 11, and will keep writing till it's done- I'll probably post a chapter a day until I've caught up with myself.

This fanfic is pretty tame- no freaky sexual stuff, just some language and some hilarity, with a side of tasteful romance. Everything is in keeping with the Manga. I'm a professional writer, so even though this is my first fanfic I hope you'll find it's well written:) Feel free to review and let me know!

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_Set just after the war with Pein. Sakura's POV at first, others later._

It was late afternoon, and a faint wind rustled the canvass tents. The clouds stretched out, like long, wispy wings, pushing away the threat of rain that had hovered over the village all day. Sakura wiped her brow with her wrist, looking up at the sky. _The clouds are so beautiful today _she thought wistfully, admiring how the expanse of clouds stretching from horizon to horizon were painted with orange, cherry, and hints of lavender, as the sun approached its resting place in the west.

"Hey Sakura-chan, you're going to turn into Shikamaru if you keep it up!"

"Hmmm, Naruto-kun, I didn't even notice you! Either I'm really tired or the clouds are especially entertaining today..."

Naruto stood next to Sakura, who still hadn't removed her eyes from the sky, and gazed up at the clouds as well. "Are you all finished with work, Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked in a boisterous voice. Then, more softly, he asked, "How is she...?"

"You mean Lady Tsunade?"

"Mmmmmmm."

Sakura sighed. "The same." The continued gazing at the clouds in silence for a moment. Then-

"Hey, Sakura-chan, I have a favor to ask..."

Surprised, Sakura replied "Sure Naruto, what's up?"

For the first time, she looked down from the sky and over at her companion, whose eyes were still fixed on the heavens. _He looks so..._ Sakura tried to pin-point the exact emotion she was picking up from Naruto. Sadness? Forlorn? She wasn't sure, but it seemed like he was carrying a heavy burden today, which was strange. Lately, he had seemed so cheerful; in fact, he was the one others went to for encouragement after the decimation of the village. Sadness seemed to barely cling to his warm and even humorous disposition over the past week. _Maybe the reality of the village's destruction is finally weighing on him...or maybe he's thinking of Sasuke-kun..._

She let that thought trail off in the silence that hung between them. Finally, Naruto brought his gaze down from the sky to meet her own. "I'm just wondering if you'll take a walk with me?" A bit startled, Sakura replied, "Of course Naruto! Seems like you have something on you mind. But first-" Sakura smiled, "let me just grab something!" Saukra ducked inside the medical tent and came back out a minute later. "I'll bring along some instant ramen and the kettle- wouldn't want you to get hungry!" She looked over at Naruto knowingly, and she was relieved to see that he finally broke out in his customary smile. The way to that man's heart was through his stomach.

Arm-in-arm, they walked through the makeshift encampment that made up their village, heading for the outskirts of town. "Do you have a specific spot in mind?" Sakura asked. She was nervous about going to far outside the village, and also a little apprehensive about what Naruto wanted to talk about. He was uncharacteristically silent. "Oh, sorry Sakura-chan. I was thinking, there's a really nice spot to watch the sunset from...since you seem to be into looking at the clouds today." Sakura laughed, "Alright Naruto-kun, lead the way!"

They made their way up to a large tree in front of a west-facing clearing. The sun had turned blood red, staining the surrounding clouds shades of crimson and pink. As she started a small cooking fire and set the kettle to boil, Sakura casually asked Naruto, "So...what's up?" Naruto smiled and sprawled out on his back on the grass. "I don't know Sakura- I should be happy. Coming to an understanding with Pein, saving the village, becoming a hero! I know it's not complete, but I have so much to be thankful for, and yet-"

Sakura interjected, "I think it's ok Naruto! To feel what you're feeling- because after all, the village is a wreck, and Lady Tsunade still hasn't regained consciousness...Jiraiya Sensei... The Akatsuki are still on the loose. There's a lot to be stressed out about..." Sakura saw Naruto grimace, and realized that not only was she not on the right track, she was making matters worse. She tried again.

"Is it- is it about Sasuke?"

"Not exactly..."

The kettle started to whistle- Sakura got their instant ramen ready and handed a cup to Naruto. "Ah, arigato Sakura-chan!" Naruto smiled at her. _At least the ramen got him to smile! _Sakura thought, bewildered. What in the world was up with Kohona's number one most unpredictable ninja?

The two sat side-by-side in silence, watching the sunset and eating their ramen. "Ah, that was really good Sakura-chan!"

"Jeez, you're done already! You're going to give yourself indigestion that way!" Naruto laughed, put down his empty ramen cup, and hugged his knees into his chest. "You're probably right..." Naruto said quietly.

Sakura put down her mostly uneaten food and nudged Naruto with her elbow. "C'mon Naruto, what's eating you?"

Naruto closed his eyes briefly then turned to meet her gaze. "It's like this Sakura- I've become a hero, haven't I?"

Sakura laughed, "Don't let it go to your head, baka!" She elbowed him. Her smile softened, and she continued, "I'm so proud of you Naruto- you've always had to work harder than anyone else, pushed yourself beyond your limits- and now..." She put her arm around him. "And you've always been there for me too. I couldn't ask for a better teammate or friend." _Alright Sakura! Good peptalk! Cha! _Sakura thought, giving herself a mental thumbs-up.

"Ah, thanks Sakura-chan." He put his arm around her and squeezed her back. "Let me ask you something, Sakura-chan..." He trailed off for a moment, then cleared his throat. "Do you think...since I'm not a total goof anymore...do you think you could love me? As more than a friend?"

The last embers of the cooking fire went out; the last rays of the sun dipped down behind the crimson sea of clouds; the crickets started chirping arrhythmically.


	2. Chapter 2: Why not?

Chapter 2

_Whoah there...did he just...! _

"Sakura-chan?"

Sakura coughed a little- "I'm sorry Naruto, I just wasn't prepaired for that! I- I- I-" Sakura trailed off.

Naruto swung his legs out in front of him and then moved so that he and Sakura were face-to-face. "All my life, I waited for the moment where I could be a hero in this village- where I would be recognized- and it's so amazing! But something is missing...and part of it is the state the village is in, and...Sasuke..." Naturo's voice faltered around the name of Sakura's long-standing love, but continued after a moment, "But there's something else too. Something that means more to me than any of those things..." Sakura was still trying to organize a coherent response in her shell-shocked brain as Naruto took her hands. "I want to know, here and now Sakura. And if the answer is no...if the answer is no, would you be able to pretend? Just...just for tonight? Lie to me?"

Sakura would have pinched herself to make sure that she was actually awake, but Naruto happened to be holding both of her hands. _Is this really- is this really happening? _Sakura always wished that she could love Naruto as much as she had always loved Sasuke...but with the threats to the village being almost constant, the recent war- well there hadn't been time to try, let alone time to even contemplate it seriously...

"I- I- I don't know what to say Naruto." She stuttered. She felt like a deer in the headlights. Some far and distant part of her brain noticed: the stars starting to appear in the dark sky; a pattern emerging from the irregular chirps of the crickets and cicadas, and how it matched her heartbeat: the moonlight gathering around Naruto's face, pooling in the depths of his blue eyes until she though for sure they would overflow- _and how could anyone's eyes hold so much moonlight?-_ another part of her brain asked her.

She couldn't stand the sadness that weighed down on him, the sadness in his eyes that reflected the light of the moon and threatened to spill over. Unable to speak, she freed one of her hands from Naruto's and gently cupped his face.

_Why the fuck not?_ Sakura thought furiously with herself. After all, Naruto had single-handedly saved the whole village- and had saved Sakura herself countless times. Every single time Sakura was upset, or sad, or needed something, she always depended on Naruto. Couldn't she at least give him this much?

_And after all..._ Sakura's brain, wheeling under the weight of the stars and the sky and the moon, thought _I've NEVER kissed anyone before...who could ask for a more wonderful first kiss? He's my best friend, after all...it won't kill me for fucks sake! _She made up her mind.

"Naruto, you are my best friend in the whole world. I don't know if I love you as more than a friend or not...but...I'm willing to give it a try...and..."

She didn't have a chance to finish her sentence- she was stopped by his warm lips on hers. Her heart started beating faster, and a part of her brain noticed how gentle he was, and how her heart was no longer in rhythm with the crickets- as he pressed up against her, she felt her heart with in sync with his.

Their lips parted for a minute and Sakura remembered to breathe. _Ok, this isn't terrible_, Sakura thought to herself. _I think I'm actually enjoying having his arms around me..._

"Hey Sakura-chan, are you ok with this? I don't want to do anything you don't want..."

Sakura raised her eyes to Naruto's and smiled. She enjoyed the look of surprise that dawned on his face as she moved her arms- which had been behind her and supporting both of their weight- and held him tightly as she rolled him onto the ground until she was on top of him and kissed him harder. His body stiffened for a minute in confusion, then softened; he rolled until they were side-by-side, then cupped her cheek in his hand and whispered in her ear, "_You don't know how happy I am right now."_ She giggled as he nibbled on her ear and she whispered back, "_This is a perfect first kiss. I'm glad it was with you." _He kissed her cheek and then her forehead and looked down at her perfect face reflecting the moonlight.


	3. Chapter 3: Sunlight

Thanks so much all for reading and for your lovely comments, subscriptions, and messages:) Hooray! I'm glad you enjoy reading this as much as I am enjoying writing it! Now I know some of you out there are die hard Naruto x Hinata fans (as per your comments so far), so all I can say is hang on to your hats because Hinata isn't finished yet! Ye of little faith:) I'm always totally excited to get reviews, so go ahead and make my day! Chow for now!

_disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of the characters used in the show- if I did, there wouldn't be so much filler and Hinata would have more screen time._

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_ohmygod._ Sakura blinked her eyes in the harsh morning sun. She felt the ground under her, slightly damp from morning dew. She looked at the boy who was entwined around her, like he was a blanket, or a vine. _Ohmygod, did that just happen? _Sakura's inner self let out a silent "_eeeeeeeek!_" inside of her head. She studied Naruto's face, still deep in sleep and radiating more light than the sun. _Ok, now what?_ She turned her gaze to look up at the perfect, cloudless sky.

She felt a rustle next to her. "Heya, Naruto..." He smiled groggily and held her tighter in his arms, kissing her cheek. She cradled his head in her arms and thought, _lets just enjoy this another minute._ Soon, the village would be awake and bustling with activity- a laundry list of all the things she had to take care of today formed in her head, but she pushed them away. _One more minute._

"Ohio Sakura-Chan..."

"Hey Naruto? I gotta think about what happened last night. Ok?"

"Yeah. Ok."

"Let's keep it our little secret for now...until we figure out if it's a thing or not..."

"A thing?"

"Mmmm...like a permanent thing...ok?"

"Ok."

"We'll see...how it goes..."

"How what goes?"

"How we go!" Sakura laughed and elbowed him gently in the side. Naruto kissed her cheek again and laughed, "I'll make tea."

They sauntered into the village before anyone had a chance to miss them- after all, the village had been in such disarray lately that it was hard to keep track of all the comings and goings. "Naruto-Kun, I've got to get back to the medic tent and start treating patients..."

"Aw, Sakura-chan, sure you don't want to get some ramen before work?"

"Nah, that's ok. You go ahead. Come find me at the end of the day."

"Hai! Later Sakura-chan!" He gave her hand a squeeze and went off, ostensibly, to Ichiraku's.

Almost immediately, Ino snuck up behind her. "Eh, Sakura-chan, where were you last night? I couldn't find you after work?" She whined.

Sakura thought quickly, _Ino-pig is a blabber mouth. Much not reveal secret!_

Despite herself, she blushed. "Errrrr..."

"Well, never mind that!" Ino took her arm in hers. "We've got work to do! Sheesh! I wanted to tell you yesterday- something really funny that happened to me and Choji!"

Ino went on, and Sakura nodded but didn't really listen to Ino's banal story. _Sheesh, I'm going to need to find some alone time so I can figure out what the heck is going on with my life!_

Finally, they arrived at the med tent. "Eh, Sakura, are you even listening?"

Thankfully, Sakura didn't have a chance to answer, because Shizune was there waiting for them, admonishing, "You girls are late. We have way too much to do today, let's get started! Ino, there's already a line of civilians here who need first aid- attend to them!. Sakura, continue doing physicals for the ninja who were injured in the battle." "Hai!" Both kunoichi responded in unison.

Sakura Sighed. Thankfully, though everyone had been revived during the last battle, there was still first aid to be dealt with- people living without proper shelter and in the remains of a battle field are more likely to get hurt than under normal conditions! Furthermore, since the nature of Pein's revival ninjutsu was not well known, Shizune ordered that every single combatant to come in for physicals. Sakura had largely been in charge of this, and even after a week of work there were still many to be checked out. Thankfully, most patients were just fine, and those who needed help only required modest chakra alignments and simple first aid- things that were easy with her expertise.

As the day wore on, however, Sakura realized that the task was easy with her expertise - when she was more well rested, and didn't have a head full of crazy thoughts. It was just after the mid-day meal, when Sakura was really beginning to feel the toll of her tiredness, the next ninja to come in for their physical arrived. It was Hinata Hyuuga. Sakura saw her approaching from down the road and felt her heart sink into her stomach. _Oh crap, what have I done! _Sakura wiped beads of perspiration from her head as she remembered how Hinata had recently declared- in front of the whole village- how she loved Naruto. _I really wish I had thought of this last night. This is messy._ She took a long gulp of water from her canteen and steadied herself. _I am a ninja. I am a medical professional. I will be fine. Just keep you cool Sakura, keep your cool! Cha! Cha!_

"Eh, Sakura-Chan, are you feeling ok?" Ino looked up at Sakura with a worried expression from behind a medical clip board.

"Heh heh, fine, just a bit dehydrated is all!" She took another nervous gulp from her canteen. _Oh boy, I'm dead meat..._

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A bit of a cliff hanger here! Like what you see? Go ahead-make my day and write a review:)  
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	4. Chapter 4: Songbirds and Kunai Practice

Well guys, thought I'd be nice and upload both chapter 3 and 4 today! Enjoy! _Be kind- R&R!_

_I don't own Naruto or any characters in Naruto- If I did, Sakura would have become a bad-ass ninja waaaaaay before shippuden._

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"Hi, Sakura-san...I'm here...for my...medical exam." Hinata stuttered. Sakura sighed; Hinata had always been the sweetest person in Konoha. How could Sakura betray her like this? _No need to fear. Just act cool!_ "Yo, Hinata, welcome! Let's get to your exam!"

"Arigato!" Hinata blushed.

"Let's see, Hinata-san...looks like you still have a few scars, scabs and busies from the fight with Pein. Gosh, you should have come in earlier!"

"Oh, it's not so bad!" Hinata protested. "I had really good first aid treatment from you out on the battlefield...it's not too bad..."

Sakura took a closer look. "Well, without using my medical ninjutsu, I can see that some of your cuts are infected. So let's apply some antibacterial salve..."

As Sakura was tending to her wounds, Hinata nervously tapped her two index fingers together. "Um...Sakura...San?"

"Hmm, what's up?"

"It's just that...well...oh, never mind!"

Sakura looked at Hinata's blushing face, and could tell what she was thinking about without using any psychic ninjutsu. Sakura's heart did a flip, but she forced herself to say,"That's ok Hinata, what's up?"

"Well- have you seen Naruto around lately? I haven't...I haven't really had a chance to see him lately..."

Had Naruto really not taken the time to thank Hinata for her bravery? Ugh. _How am I in the middle of this? _Sakura laughed nervously. "Oh, I'm sure he's just been really busy with missions and being a hero and what not! I'll tell him to come and find you next time I see him!" _Eeeeeeeeek!_

"Ah, arigato Sakura-san!" Hinata smiled.

"Alright Hinata-san, let's just do a little chakra adjustment and you'll be good to go!"

Sakura, exhausted, finished up with patients early and decided she needed a break to get her head screwed back on. "Hey, Ino-pig, do me a favor?"

"Hmm, billboard brow?"

"If Naruto comes looking for me, tell'm I went to practice my kunai throwing, k?"

"Uh huh." Ino, intent on her work, didn't even notice Sakura's nervous smile.

"K, later!"

_Nothing like some kunai throwing to make you feel like you can do anything_. Sakura took a deep breath and threw her kunai- whack- it hit the outside of the target.

"Crap my aim sucks today!" That was the 5th kunai she had thrown that had been off center- quite the abnormality for someone who had been at the top of her class-_oh but Sasuke was really at the top of the class, so I guess I was just under him_. _I mean...oh gosh, that's not funny. _She sighed and threw herself down on a nearby rock, and as she stretched out on her back she heard several vertebra crack. _Damn, I've been working myself too hard._

She looked up at the sunlight filtering in through the leaves, and listened to the songbirds with her eyes closed for a moment. _Now I really feel like Shikamaru- this is all so troublesome!_ She chuckled quietly to herself. Then she sighed, and said aloud, "What the heck am I going to do..." If she was really truly honest with herself, did she really love Naruto- as more than a friend? And what about Hinata- was it really ok to start a "thing" with Naruto right now? She rolled over on her stomach and put her face in her hands. The truth was...she really had no idea about any of it. Lazily, she picked up a kunai and sat up. Squinting, she hurled it at the target- bulls-eye! "CHA!" _Well, at least that didn't __suck._ Feeling playful, she ran up a tree using chakra control on the soles of her feet, and stood upside down on a branch. Aiming carefully, she threw the kunai-

"HEY, SA-KU-RA-CHAAAAAAAAN!" The kunai flew way off target and Sakura fell out of the tree.

"NARUUUUUUTOOOOO!" Oh jeez, was she _really_ trying to figure out if she was in love with that baka?

"Hey, Sakura-chan, you ok?"

Sakura was about to beat Naruto into a bloody pulp, but when she saw the quizzical expression on his face she broke out into uncontrollable laughter.

"Sakura?" But Sakura couldn't reply- she was laughing so hard, she was crying. After gaining some control back over her body, Sakura laughed, "I was practicing kunai throwing from the tree and I guess I was concentrating so hard, I didn't hear you coming!" Sniffle.

"Hey, Sakura-chan, that's twice in two days I've startled you- you're getting rusty!" Naruto joined in laughing and plopped himself down on the ground. "Seriously though, you hurt?"

"Hmmm...thanks to my super ninja reflexes, ha ha, I think I'll be ok." She elbowed him in the ribs. "What's up with you?"

"Not much, rebuilding Konoha, training, ramen...you know, the usual. Well, usual for the unusual I guess." Sakura smiled. "So Sakura, how was your day?"

Sakura, remembering her visit with Hinata, murmured "Hmmmm..." Naruto noticed her grimace and suddenly became serious. "Hey...about last night..."

_Aaaaaaaawkwaaaaaaard..._

"I'm sorry."

"Naruto, why are you sorry? Last night was fine."

"It was?"

"Yeah..."

He leaned in to kiss her, but Sakura put up her hand to his lips. "But we should probably talk about it." Sakura smiled and kissed his forehead.

Naruto sprawled out on the ground. "Now you've got me confused, Sakura-chan."

Sakura laughed in spite of herself. "Sorry, Naruto-kun. Here's what I've been thinking- I'm just not sure about all this. I mean, there's a war going on, we both have out duties-"  
"What's the point of living if you have nothing to live for?" Naruto replied, stopping Sakura dead in her tracks. It was silent for a moment, then Naruto continued, "Well..."

"I'm sorry Naruto. I think there is just too much going on right now for me to figure out how I'm feeling...I think it would be better if we were just friends for right now."

"Hai...Sakura-chan...ummm..."

"Naruto-kun?" The last thing Sakura wanted was for the sadness to come back to Naruto's eyes. She didn't think she could handle it...

"Sakura-chan, I'm sorry I asked you to lie to me last night. That was wrong."

"Naruto!" Emphatically, Sakura said his name and took his hands in hers; she pulled him up and looked him in the eye. "Last night was no lie. Ok. I'm a terrible lier anyway, you know that."

"Yeah, but..."

"Stop apologizing, Naruto-kun! You have nothing to apologize for." Sakura smiled and ruffled his hair.

"Ow, Sakura-chan, easy on my brain there!"

"Listen Naruto, I just think we should be friends for now..."

Naruto leaned up against a rock, stretching out his back. He fumbled around in his pouch and brought out a kunai.

"Hey, Sakura-chan," Naruto said slowly, throwing the kunai at the target and hitting the center, "do you reckon it will ever work out between us? I want you to speak the truth with me."

Sakura leaned up against the rock, and resting her head on Naruto's shoulder she closed her eyes. Naruto looked up at the trees and started counting the songbirds nervously...

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Enjoying the story so far? Sorry to leave you at a cliff hanger! If you want more, leave me a nice lil' review, won't you? You'll be making me the happiest lil' kunoichi in Konoha!


	5. Chapter 5: Setting it Straight

I'm so thrilled by everyone's responses- and I can't believe that close to 200 people have read this story! Thanks all! Don't forget to give me the equivalent of a high-five via a review:) Arigato!

_Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto-kun or any characters associated with Naruto- if I did, Ino wouldn't be such a waste of space, nor would she have an eating disorder._

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"Naruto, I think we just work better as friends. You're my closest friend, and I don't want to ruin what we have. I don't think we work, romantically. I think you should move on and find someone who loves you...just as much as you love me." In her mind's eye, Sakura pictured Hinata on the battlefield, putting herself between Naruto and Pein even though it was hopeless... _I just don't love Naruto like that. Like Hinata does... _Sakura looked over at Naruto shyly. _And he deserves someone who loves him like that._

A sparrow swooped down and perched on a kunai sticking out of the target board, looking at Naruto and Sakura inquisitively. Sakura felt a tear escaping from her eyes, and felt more coming.

"Hey, Sakura-chan, why are you crying?" He chuckled softly. "Shouldn't I be the one crying here?" He took her face in his hands and gently turned her head to face him. "I had one night where you loved me- as more than I friend. I told you how I feel. Now I can go out and fight Sasuke, the Akatsuki, whoever, without any fear, without any regrets. Arigoto, Sakura-chan."

Sakura wiped her rebellious eyes with her wrist. "I just...I just don't want to cause you any pain, Naruto...I want you to be happy..." Despite herself, Sakura started to weep.

"Aw, Sakura-chan. I am happy. I'm happy you love me...as a friend."

Sakura buried her face in his shoulder. "A-A-Arigoto, Naruto-kun!"

Naruto offered her a tissue after she had calmed down a bit. "Sakura-chan, it's all good."

"Hai!"

"I think I'm going to go off for a walk now...to be by myself..." Naturo gently removed Sakura from his shoulder and got up to leave.

"Before you go Naruto...there's one more thing you should know."

Naruto sat down again next to Sakura and looked at her questioningly.

"It's about Hinata...you know she loves you, right?"

"Yeah! I love her too."

"Mmmm...you mean...like a friend?"

"Sure, Hinata and I are good friends! She's always been supportive of me...she's kind of weird, but I like weird."

Sakura sighed patiently. "Baka. You know how much you like me? Like, as more than a friend?"

"Aw, Sakura, why are you bringing that up again?"  
"AHO! Hinata likes you like that! Like how you like me!"

Naruto looked confused- he started counting on his fingers..."Sakura-chan?"

"KICHIGAI! She's in LOVE with you as MORE than a friend!"

She gave that a moment to sink into Naruto's thick skull. _Seriously, I could never date this idiot. I love him, but jeez._ "Got it Naruto?"  
She saw a look of understanding dawn on his face. "Ohhhhhhhhhh! But I think I only like her as a friend...which is kind of how you like me?...at least...well I never thought about it till now...Hinata?...Really?"

"Hinata was asking about you today. You still haven't thanked her for, oh, I don't know, trying to save your life and telling the whole world that she loves you- I mean love loves you. And it's been a whole week..."

Naruto's face got red. "Kuso! It's been a whole week since that incident, and there's been so much going on I didn't even- I'm a total asshole!"

"Hmmm. Probably you shouldn't be hooking up with me right after all of that..." Sakura replied sheepishly.

"KUSO! Hai, Sakura-chan, are we cool, because I got to go find Hinata-chan!"

"We're cool Naruto!" She elbowed him in the ribs.

"Ooooouch!"

"Naruto, stop by Ino and see if she can't help you find some flowers..."

"I'm already there! DATTEBAYO!"

Naruto was gone in two seconds, leaving a cloud of dust behind him. "Sheesh..." Sakura fished out her last kunai and chucked it at the target- bulls-eye. CHA!

Little did Naruto know that Konohamaru and company were lying in wait for him, and were about to enmesh him in a scheme that would put him at the top of Sakura and Neji's hit list.

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Well I hope you Hinata x Naruto fans are breathing a sigh of relief, but don't get too comfortable- the future is yet uncertain!

Please read + review if you feel so moved:)


	6. Chapter 6: The Run Around

I'm so nice- that last chapter was short, and so is this one, so why not publish them both? Why not reward me with a little review? Arigato, and enjoy as the suspense builds!

_Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or its characters; if I did, the girls wouldn't be fawning over that damned jerk Sasuke; they would be concentrating on their training so they could get stronger and thus be less lame!_

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The first thing Naruto did when he got back to the village was to run to Ino. In fact, he ran so fast, he almost ran her over.

"BAKA! Can you watch where you are going? Sheesh Naruto!"

"Ehhh, sorry Ino-chan...errrr..."

"BAKA, what do you want already, spit it out!"

"Hmmm...would you...help me...find some flowers?"

Ino's face instantly lit up. "NANI? Oh!" Ino squealed and Naruto thought, _No wonder Sakura-chan nicknamed her Ino-pig._ "Naturo-kun, for sure I'll help you! I'll even do it for free- in return, I just want one, teensy weensy thing..."

_Oh dear lord_ Naruto groaned inwardly. _This can't be good._

"I want to know who they are for!"

"Er...ok, Ino-chan. But flowers first!"

"Ok, but pinky-swear first that you'll tell me!"

"Pinky swear! Dattebayo!"

"Ok, deal! I know a good clearing not too far from here with some OUTRAGEOUS tiger lilies that are just starting to bloom! And..."

Ino droned on about flowers while they began to walk; Naruto just nodded his head silently. _Can I trust Ino to keep her mouth shut about this? Maybe I should lie about who these are for? Nah...I'm a terrible lier...well, why not just tell her the truth! They are a "thank you" to Hinata for fighting to save me. That's normal enough..._

"Naruto, are you even _listening?_ Sheesh, you're worse than old billboard brow. _Anyway_ here they are- and don't tell anyone where you found these flowers, this lil' place is a shop secret!" Ino winked. "And now _Naruto-kun," _Ino purred, "who are they foooooor?"

Naruto sighed momentarily, then grinned as he knelt down to cut some flowers with his kunai. "They're a thank-you! I still haven't thanked Hinata for what she did, standing up for me and getting almost killed...you know..."

"You _still_ haven't thanked her baka? You do understand that she's in love with you, right?"

Naruto sighed again. "Uh-huh."

"I mean, love loves-"

"Yeah, Sakura-chan explained it to me."

"Well, how do you feel about her?" Ino squealed again.

"Don't know."

"Are you ganna start dating?"

Naruto simply shrugged.

"Well," Ino huffed, "aren't _we_ being a tad laconic today." After she saw the confused look on Naruto's face, she continued in a grimace, "I mean you're tight-lipped- baka! Get a dictionary!"

"Uh, whatever Ino-chan. Ok, got to go find Hinata- later!" And with that Naruto disappeared. "Well," Ino muttered to herself, smiling, "this is getting interesting! Oh my God, I have got to go tell Sa-ku-ra-chaaaaaaan!" She did a little happy dance, giddy to have some juicy gossip.

On her way back to the village, she was met by a group of charming genin- Konohamaru, Udon, and Moegi. "Well, hello adorable ones, what's up?" She noticed that they were carrying a large yellow envelope and they were all wearing shit-eating-grins, as the saying goes. _Things just keep getting more interesting all the time..._Ino thought to herself amusingly. _These guys are up to something! Call it my womanly intuition, but I know something is definitely up..._

"Have you seen Naruto-nii-san?" Konohamaru said oh-so-sweetly. _Too sweetly!_ Ino thought. _What in the world are these little brats up to?_

"Yeah, I just saw him a little while ago..."

"Oh yeah! Where? Where?" Moegi jumped up and down with excitement and looked up at Ino with her adorable little puppy eyes.

Ino sighed. "He went to find Hinata-"

"ARIGATO GOZAIMASU!" The three ninjas screamed in unison, and then disappeared as quickly as they had come.

"Sheesh!" Ino smiled at the dust cloud they left behind.

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Don't worry- the next chapter or two will be edited and ready to go up tomorrow- that's when things really get cooking! Stay tuned!


	7. Chapter 7: Blackmail

I'm really blown away by everyone's nice reviews and messages! Thanks so much also to those who added me as a favorite author, and/or this story as a favorite story. Arigato!

Also, FYI, **I've finished writing this story**- it is officially 16 chapters long! I'll post more chapters every day as I edit them, but I thought it would be nice to give a heads up. Don't worry, I won't leave you all in suspense for too long!

_Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. If I did, there would be more chicks in the Akatsuki. Flower girl doesn't cut it._

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Meanwhile, Hinata was at a training ground farther away from the village which, by virtue of its distance, was still intact after the battle with Pein. She wasn't practicing her kunai throwing, using her byakugan, or any normal sort of training that ninja might be seen doing. She was standing under a large oak tree, eyes closed, breathing slowly. Her hands were clasped in front of her chest.

_Imagine that you are a large, strong tree. Imagine your roots digging deeply into the ground, _Hinata thought to herself. _Imagine your deep roots, digging all the way to the center of the earth- and now imagine those roots gathering chakra from the center of the earth, all the way up to the soles of your feet. Feel that energy rise and spread throughout your body, up to the top of your head._

Hinata had been doing this kind of training for the last week. It was something Kurenai-sensei had taught Hinata, something that would help her to be a more courageous kunoichi. When Hinata had asked her sensei to give her training to overcome her fearful nature, Kurenai-sensei had laughed- not a laugh that made fun of Hinata, but a beautiful, kind laugh. She had remarked, "Hinata, you already have all the courage inside of you-" Kurenai pointed to Hinata's heart. "I don't know many ninjas that would have done what you did, standing up to Pein during that last battle! So I'll teach you a simple exercise that will help to bring out the amazing reserves of courage you already posses." Hinata blushed. "Arigato!"

Hinata was deep into the meditation- she could feel her chakra going all the way to the center of the earth, she felt grounded and rooted in herself. _Now, imagine a warm yellow light- like the light of the sun- in your abdomen. This is your courage. Draw chakra up from the center of the earth and feed this yellow light. Now let the light expand, until it fills your heart, you mind- your entire being. Continue until you feel the light enveloping your whole body, just like the rays of the sun-"_

Just as she was settling deeper into the meditation, she was startled by a very loud-

"HINATA-CHAAAAAAAN!"

Hinata took a deep breath and opened her eyes. "Na-Naruto-Kun?" _I will not faint! I will be strong like a tree deeply rooted in the earth!_ Hinata closed her eyes momentarily and imagined Kurenai-sensei's gentle hand on her shoulder, reassuring her. Hinata whispered to herself, "I'm a brave kunoichi and I am strong!"

"What was that Hinata-chan?"

"Er...nothing, Naruto-kun! Heh, heh. Hello!" Hinata blushed slightly, despite herself.

"I haven't seen you in a little while, Hinata-chan. I wanted to see how your wounds are- are you still hurt after...after..."

"Ah, no, I'm ok Naruto-kun." Hinata nervously tapped her index fingers together, until she caught herself engaging in this nervous behavior and forced herself to stand tall. _I wonder if he's going to bring __that__ up..._

"Well, anyway Hinata, I brought you these-" he took the flowers out from behind his back and handed them to Hinata, "And I wanted to thank you. You know, for everything..."

"Ah...Naruto-k-k-kun...-"

"NII-SAAAAAAAAN!" A loud shout broke her train of thought. Hinata thought, _It's amazing how similar these two are...,_ wincing as yet another loud voice broke the calm in the glade.

"Ah, Konohamaru, Udon, Moegi- now's not the best time-"

"Nii-san, I challenge you to a duel- in front of the whole village- right now!"

Moegi snickered.

"Ah...maybe later Konohamaru?" Naruto pleaded.

"No way! I've got leverage on you! Come over here!"

Hesitantly, Naruto sauntered over to Konohamaru. "Naruto-nii-san, just look inside this envelope."

"Ummm...k..."

Naruto opened the envelope and peeked inside- "WHAT THE FUCK KONOHAMARUUUU!"

Naruto grabbed the envelope and stuffed it in his pocket. "What the- ACTUALLY, don't even tell me how you got this- don't say ONE SINGLE WORD or I will beat you into a bloody pulp. But I have your little photo now, so you can just bugger off!"

The three genin laughed. "Aw, Nii-san, you don't think that's the _only _copy I have? How stupid do you think I am? I have another copy _and_ the negatives hidden in a very secure-"

Naruto picked Konohamaru up by the collar of his t-shirt. "You will now tell me exactly where they are all hidden or you will be a dead man! A dead man!"

Moegi chuckled. "You're next Moegi-chan! I wouldn't laugh if I were you!"

Moegi continued snickering. "Even if you had Inoichi-san ransack our brains, he wouldn't find a thing. We don't know where it is. We had Kiba and Shino hide it for us."

"WHAT!" Naruto bellowed, dropping Konohamaru to the ground.

Hinata hid a giggle behind her hand. "Naruto-kun, just have the duel with Konohamaru, it's no big deal."

Naruto looked over at Hinata, feeling helpless. He looked like he had just swallowed a turd, which just made the four other ninja laugh harder. _When did Hinata- when did Hinata get the ability to say a whole sentence without stuttering? She sure has gotten...ballsy...that's not the right word-_ but his thoughts were broken by the young prankster in front of him.

"These are the terms of the duel, Naruto-nii-san!" Konohamaru shouted, brandishing his finger in Naruto's face. "We will have a sexy-ninjutsu duel, judged by four volunteer ninja- we each have three shots to be the best. Best two out of three wins!"

"And if I win?" Asked Naruto, trying to play it cool.

"If you win, we will hand over those photos to you, and no one else will see them. But, if I win-" Konohamaru's shit-eating grin reappeared on his face- "then the WHOLE VILLAGE gets to see this!"

Naruto had to think quickly. _I can't really discuss this in front of Hinata-chan- if she sees those pictures, she is going to fucking kill me. I'll just have to kick Konohamaru's butt..._

Naruto, never one to shy away from competition, spat back,"Hai! It's on! If I win, I'll throw in the added bonus of not kicking-your-butt all the way to the hidden sand village. Although I might still kill Shino and Kiba, those bastards. Deal?" Naruto threw out his hand to his challenger. It was hard not to indulge Konohamaru, even given the extenuating circumstances, since Naruto had been equally mischievous at his age.

Konohamaru forcefully shook his offered hand. "DEAL!"

Hinata giggled again.

_Dear lord, help me..._ Naruto thought, looking nervously at Hinata.

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What in the world is in that envelope? Never fear, in my kindness, I've decided to upload chapter 8 today too- as a reward, won't you R&R? Thanks!


	8. Chapter 8: He Can't Afford to Lose

The plot thickens!

_Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto- if I did, Zabuza wouldn't have kicked the bucket._

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The people in the village were eating dinner, which was doled out by students of the academy to the community. The air was serene- everyone was gathered around a central bonfire, enjoying the peace and each other's company-

GONG! GONG! GONG! Moegi went through the crowd hitting a large gong. Konohamaru jumped up on an empty barrel and called, "Attention! Attention everyone!"

Numerous ninja held their hands over their ears in reaction to all the racket and glared at Konohamaru and his gang. Unaffected, Konohamaru continued- "Everyone gather around for the ultimate showdown between myself, and my number one rival, Uzumaki Naruto!" Everyone cheered at the mention of Naruto's name- and despite himself, Iruka-sensei - who was about to tell his students to stop all the racket- smiled. _After all_, Iruka mused to himself, _the village has been under a lot of stress lately. We could use some stupid humor from these two clowns._

Konohamaru continued, "Captain Yamato, would you be so kind as to erect a simple stage?" Yamato mouthed "No way!", but Kakashi elbowed him in the side. "Come on Yamato," Kakashi laughed, "Why the heck not?"

"Kakashi-Sempai!" He moaned. Sighing, he made hand-signs and a wonderful wooden stage emerged.

"Arigato Yamato! And now, I need four volunteers to judge the contest!"

"Hey!" Yelled Sakura, a bit apprehensive, as she knew these two could not be up to any good. "What kind of contest is this anyway?"

"SEXY-NINJUTSU!" Yelled Konohamaru and Naruto simultaneously, the latter apparently getting into the spectacle.

"What the-" Sakura started to yell, but was cut off by Kiba. "Oh come on Sakura, it'll be a good time." Then, Kiba yelled into the crowd- "Oh hells yeah I'll judge that!"

Sakura groaned. "Kiba, you are such a PERVE!" She motioned to whack him on the head, but before she could knock him unconscious he was already up on the stage and motioning wildly for the crowd to cheer more. Sakura spotted Hinata and came over to her. "I can't believe this Hinata-chan. What do those two think they are doing?"

Hinata blushed. "I don't mind...I think it's kind of cute. Although..." Hinata looked nervously at the ground.

"What's up?"

"Hmm...it seems like Konohamaru is blackmailing Naruto...with...hmmm...a photograph...I haven't seen it but...I hope-"

Sakura laughed. "What has that knuckle head gotten himself into?" She put a reassuring hand on Hinata's shoulder, who returned Sakura's laughter. In a more jovial mood, Sakura proceeded to watch the other judges who volunteered- Ino, Tenten, and (of all people!) Shino. Who knew they were all so perverted?

But then Sakura's mind went back to what Hinata had told her...and she broke out in to a cold sweat...and then told herself not to worry. It was probably nothing! Still...Sakura looked up at the stage- she saw Moegi was brandishing a large yellow envelope in Naruto's chagrined face.

"Hey, Sakura-san, Hinata-sama."

"Oh, hello Nii-san!" Hinata smiled.

Sakura quickly grabbed Neji by the hand. "Neji!" Sakura took Neji to the side and whispered furiously, so that Hinata wouldn't hear.

"Hey, Sakura-"

"Just shut up and check it out for me Neji- please?" She whispered in his ear. He raised an eyebrow. "Just do it Neji!"

"Eh, fine, just get your grubby hands off me. Byakugan!" Neji looked over at the stage and a moment later, snickered.

"Oh Sakura, you didn't! You didn't!"

Sakura made a horrified face. "Is that what I think it is Neji-san?"

Neji looked over at Sakura with a grin plastered to his face, but then spotted Hinata standing behind her and frowned. "Nothing good can come of this...is he being blackmailed?"

"By Konohamaru of all people..." Sakura finished his sentence. "If that knucklehead loses this sexy jutsu contest, I will literally break his balls."

Neji's eyes widened at her language, but then nodded his head in agreement. "I will also help you-ah-break his balls." He gestured subtly with his head- "For lady Hinata's sake."

Sakura grunted. _Naruto, you freak, I will NEVER forgive you if you lose this battle!_

That was Konoha's most surprising ninja for you.

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Whose going to win the pervy jutsu contest? Stay tuned, I promise at least one chapter tomorrow! What's that- you demand I upload TWO chapters tomorrow? Alright, it's tempting- maybe if you leave me a nice review you'll find two more chapters uploaded tomorrow! Woot!


	9. Chapter 9: Begin! Brat vrs Baka!

Wow all, thanks so much for the reviews, subscriptions, messages, etc! I am so glad you are enjoying the story, but hold onto your seat- things are just about to get even better!

On a serious note, please take a minute before you read this to pray or send good thoughts over to the people in Japan who are suffering from a serious series of earthquakes + aftershocks. :(

Ok, back to humor land.

_Please note I don't own Naruto or any of the characters in the show- if I did, there would be more romance, and less mindless fillers. Make love not filler!_

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"Alright!" Kiba shouted. "Let the games begin! These are the rules- no full nudity. There are minors here for crying out loud. Other than that, rock out! On my count of three, do your thing. One, two, THREE!"

"**Oiroke no Jutsu!" **Both contestants shouted in unison. A large cloud of smoke hid their forms and the crowd cheered.

"This would never be happening if Lady Hokage was not comatose..." Sakura grumbled under her breath.

"Although this might be enough to put her in a coma if she weren't already..." Neji snickered. Sakura sighed and rolled her eyes, while Hinata giggled.

The smoke cleared. On the right, a buxom blonde with whiskers in a teeny weeny (Sakura thought it probably could not _be_ any more teeny weeny) cooed, "Ohhh, Kiba-kun, aren't I just the cuuuuutest?" She/he winked to the crowd, who then went wild. Sakura noticed that several adults had nosebleeds and were lying unconscious on the ground. Despite herself, Sakura thought, _Damn...it is possible he's cuter...as a she? She's actually...really hot. _Sakura paused for a minute. _Does this make me a lesbian?_ Sakura blushed and turned towards the second cloud of smoke that was clearing.

"Ooooooh Neeeeeee-chaaaaaaaaan..." Konohamaru cat called. His (Her?) brown hair swirled and hung low down his/her back. She/he wore a scandalous black dress with white polka-dots and high heals. Sakura looked around at the crowd to see more pervy adults passed out on the ground with nosebleeds. _Sheesh..._

Kiba roared, "Ok, judges, what do we give Naruto? I give him an 8!"

Ino: "Pretty cute Naruto- I think you're even cuter as a girl!"

_Does that make her a lesbian too?_ Sakura thought, giggling.

Ino continued, "I give you a 9!"

Tenten, "Pretty good Naruto, but you can do better- 8!" Naruto stuck out her tongue at Tenten.

Shino, never much for words, held up a sign with a bunch of bugs crawling over it. In a moment, they arranged themselves into a 6.

"Oh, waaaaay- harsh Shino-kun!" Hollered Naruto, sticking his/her tongue out. Shino shrugged and put his sign down.

"Ok, let's vote on Konohamaru's Jutsu! I give it a 8!" Yelled Kiba.

"8" said Ino.

"7" said Tenten.

Shino held up a "7" sign.

Kiba roared, "That's 31 Naruto, 30 Konohamaru! If Naruto wins the next round, he wins the contest. Ok, now for your next transformation- go!"

"**Oiroke no Jutsu!"** Yelled Naruto.

"**Orioke onna no Ko Doushi no Jutsu!"** Screamed Konohamaru.

"Come on Naruto! You can do it!" Roared Sakura. _I can't believe I'm rooting for that idiot._ Sakura smiled. _I also can't believe I ever wanted his oiroke no jutsu ass...hell, Hinata can have him!_ But remembering her rather precarious situation, Sakura gulped. _That is...if she still wants him! Ugh, what __have I done and how did those freakin brats get it on camera! _Sakura consoled herself. _At least they didn't video tape it...and then put it on youtube..._ Sakura shuddered at the thought.

The smoke cleared. Naruto was wearing red high heals, black fish nets, a red leather outfit, and was _pole dancing!_ Sakura hid her eyes on Neji's shoulder, who was looking down himself and covering Hinata's eyes with his hands. Hinata chortled. "Shameful, absolutely shameful. If that man _ever_ becomes Hokage, this place is going to go to _shit_!" Neji spat. Hinata stifled her laugh with difficulty and continued to peer through Neji's hand. _He's even super cute like this_ Hinata sighed. _Really cute...does that make me...?_

Hinata had no time to complete that thought, because the smoke cleared around Konohamaru. Neji looked up and yelled at Hinata, "If you so much as glance at that atrocity, you'll be grounded for a week!" "Sorry, Nii-san!" "And I'll be able to tell if you use your byakugan!" "Hai, Nii-san!"

"Damn," Sakura murmured, "I can't believe Konohamaru just whipped out a jutsu that was sexier than Naruto's."

On the stage where Konohamaru used to be were two, mostly naked, busty brunets who were hugging each other suggestively. The sound of more adults hitting the ground with a THUD, their noses bleeding, was astronomical.

Kiba laughed- "I don't think we need to vote- the winner is absolutely Konohamaru!"

The other judges nodded in agreement.

"Arrrrrrrigaaatoooooo!" The Konohamarus cat-called.

Naruto combed a hand through his/her hair nervously.

"Ok, the next one is the deal breaker. On your mark, get set, go!"

"**Onna no Ko Doushi no Jutsu!"** They both yelled in unison.

When the smoke cleared, there were literally a hundred scantily clad sexy Narutos- being ...suggestive ...with each other. On the other side, Konohamuru had about ten, equally scantily clad, and equally scandalous, sexy clones.

"Alright Naruto! Cha!" Shouted Sakura, punching the air above her head. _Winning by sheer numbers. What a pervy genius._ Sakura noticed that Naruto's clones were involved in...ahem...a variety of activities, but she just chose to cover her eyes. This was possibly too many sexy Narutos. _Please, spirits, please, let this idiot win._


	10. Chapter 10: Run for Your Life!

Well, y'all gave me so many nice reviews, I thought I should reward you with another chapter today- thanks so much for being the best readers ever:) I really appreciate your feedback:)

Oh yeah, Sien: Oh ye of little faith. Have I not said in the summary that it is cloudy with Sakura with a chance of Hinata? Why don't you finish the story before you judge? Because I'm just getting started people! Wha-ha-ha! Though it is hard to take your review seriously, since you can't spell for shit, lol. No hard feelings though, I'm glad you gave my story a chance *Shakes Sien's hand*.

dazynl8: Your reviews always make me laugh out loud! I love your stories sooooooo much, it's so nice to get reviews from you! And other readers out there, check out dazyn18's stuff too, it rocks!

oceanmoon: Thanks for all your sweet comments! I guess I'll come out and say that the chapter two hook up was just intended by me to be a pretty innocent kiss, but hey this is art so you can interpret it however you want!

Ok, I love you all! Let's find out who the winner is!

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It appeared that Kiba-kun had keeled over and was unconscious with a nose bleed, so Ino took center stage. "By unanimous decision of the pervy judges, we deem Naruto-kun to be the winner of this fierce duel!" Cheering ensued, but for some reason it was not as loud as before. Sakura looked around and realized that most of the crowd were passed out from too much sexy-ness. Sakura sighed, looking around at the few people- mostly women- who remained standing. _This is what the sprinkling of female characters must feel like in a shonen manga,_ she thought wistfully.

On stage, the two candidates transformed back, much to the relief of the remaining members of the crowd who had managed to retain their consciousness. Naruto shook Konohamaru's hand, who gave him the yellow envelope, as well as a smaller white envelope of what Sakura was sure were the negatives. _Cha! Saved by the knucklehead again!_ Sakura chuckled inwardly. Although she would not be in this mess if Naruto hadn't...but that was beside the point. No harm done, and it seemed like everyone (besides Neji) had had fun.

Naruto began hollering on stage and waved around his prize. Konohamaru muttered, "Hoi! I can't believe you beat me again Nii-san!" Naturo continued waving his arms and the envelope in the air, like a victory flag. "I believe you will surpass me one day Konohamaru- in all ninjutsu except for pervy ninjutsu!"

Beside Sakura, a bemused Hinata was becoming increasingly curious. _What in the world could be in that envelope? I know Naruto really doesn't want anyone to see but..._ "I just can't help myself!" She laughed, fully appreciating the comical mood of the night. "Byakugan!"

Sakura looked over at Hinata, alarmed. "Noooooooo!" Sakura and Neji simultaneously screamed and put their hands over Hinata's eyes, but it was too late. Her eyes were already activated and they could certainly see through all four of their hands. "Hinata!" Neji yelled.

"What the- Sakura- no way-"

"Hinata!"

"Can you- can you- please take your hands off me?"

"Hinata, let me explain-"

Hinata held up her hand, interrupting a beet-red Sakura. Hinata closed her eyes and thought, _breathe. Think about the tree. Think about being a tree. THINK ABOUT BEING A TREE!_

"I think I need some time. Alone." Hinata clutched the flowers she had been holding in her hand a little tighter, and then handed them to Sakura. "Congratulations Sakura. I hope...I hope...I hope you both are...h-h-h-happy. I-"

"Hinata-san-"

Hinata held her head high and slowly walked away from the crowd. _Come on body, just make it out of here and I'll let you cry later...be a tree...be a tree..._

Sakura gripped the bouquet of flowers and furiously tried to think- but all her brain could repeat was:

_Baka. _

_Baka. _

_BAKA!_

"NARUUUUUUUTOOOOOOOOO!" Sakura stormed up to the stage, followed by a smoldering Neji.

They both screamed in unison- "BAKA!"

"Sakura? Neji?"

"Naruto," Neji replied in a steady, low voice, "Hinata. Saw. The picture." Naruto gasped in horror and backed away slowly- "H-h-how?"

"I don't know, teme, maybe you were waving that _thing_" Sakura grabbed the picture and the negatives out of his hands "around like a giant idiot, and then maybe that got Hinata curious, who then used her byakugan to check out what was inside the envelope-" Sakura seethed. "YOU ARE DEAD MEAT!" Naruto bolted, while Sakura and Neji chased him and promised to, quote, "freakin kill him until he was fucking dead."

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Is there any hope left for our protagonist? Tune in tomorrow to find out more in the next chapter! What's that, you demand yet another day of double chapters? You can't handle the suspense? Well, maybe a few more reviews will convince me...!

:)


	11. Chapter 11: GOMEN NASAI!

Haha, thanks so much for all your reviews, especially dazynl8- how can I say no? Guess it'll be another double chapter day! I 3 my readers!

I just wanted to say to all the Naruto x Hinata die-hards like trinity456- I hear you, and I promise you I wasn't lying when I labeled this Naruto x Hinata, k! Just fasten your seat-belts, enjoy the ride, and trust the driver:)

Ok here we go!

_Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto- if I did, more members of the Akatsuki would be hallarious like Hidan!_

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"Come on gang! We've got to help Nii-san- I'm not sure exactly what's going on, but he's probably in trouble because of us!"

"Hai!" Moegi and Udon shouted in unison. The team went off after Naruto and his assailants. Moegi cried, "Gosh, that Sakura is _really _scary when's she's pissed!"

"And let's not forget Neji- he's the strongest ninja in the Hyuga clan!" Udon mumbled tearfully.

"We've got to help out the boss- what are we going to do, Konohamaru?" Moegi pleaded.

"Don't worry gang- I have a plan. Moegi, this plan is particularly dependent on your cuteness-"

"If it's sexy jutsu, then I'm going to kill you!" Moegi screamed, looking alarmed.

"Nah, it's not that-" Konohamaru replied sheepishly. "I call it, crybaby no jutsu. We are going to cry and beg Neji and Sakura for their forgiveness."

Moegi looked at Konohamaru like he'd gone mad. "For real?," She asked incredulously.

"I think it's a good plan Moegi-chan," Udon chimed in, "because if we take on either of those ninja in a fight, we are going to _die_."

"See! See!" Pouted Konohamaru. "Udon agrees with me! It will work like a charm. And no one can resist a woman's tears- that's where you come in Moegi, since you're the cutest member of our group."

Moegi rolled her eyes. "Fine. I guess flattery really will get you everywhere."

Up ahead, the trio could see a couple hundred frantic Narutos, closely tailed by an angry-psycho-pinky-haired-monster and a solemn-yet-menacing-no-pupil-war-machine. "Clearly, with my byakugan, I can see which one is the real you NARUTO!" Neji roared into a sea of Naruto clones, all with terrified looks on their faces. Sakura seethed, "Which one is the real one Neji- LET ME AT'M!"

"Come on gang! We've got to go save the boss!" Konohamaru rallied. "Hai!" His teammates yelled, as they jumped in front of Neji and Sakura and started wailing. "WAAAAAAHHHHHHH!" Moegi stepped out in front and looked up at the ninja with her round eyes full of tears.

Neji and Sakura tried to stop dead in their tracks, but they had been running so fast that they were unable to stop in time- CRASH! All six ninja were scattered in a tangled heap from the impact of the collision. "WHAT THE FUCK!" An enraged Sakura screamed. She rose up from the pile and pointed in Naruto's direction. "NARUTOOOOO! ALL OF YOU CLONES STAY PUT! MOVE AN INCH AND I WILL KILL YOU! IN YOUR SLEEP! I KNOW WHERE YOU LIVE!" The hundreds of Naruto clones, all in different stages of running for their lives, froze in whatever position they happened to be. In unison, they all squeaked, "Eeeep. Yes Ma'am!"

Sakura turned her gaze on the three genin, who all began to cry real tears this time- out of sheer terror. Konohamaru sniffled and raised his hand to speak: "Please S-Sakura-chan, this is all my fault. I take full responsibility. I'm the one who took that picture!"

Sakura turned towards him slowly. "You," Sakura breathed, "are a dead man." At this point Udon nudged Moegi and whispered, "You're the cute one! Come on!" Moegi stood in front of Sakura and began to cry even harder. "We're sorry Sakura-chan, it's all of our faults and we're really really sorry! Please forgive us Sakura-chan, Neji-san!" Neji's mood seemed to soften, but Sakura was still on a rampage. She breathed, "Great. So that means I'll just kill all three of you FIRST, and THEN I'll destroy the bakas over there!"

The three genin held onto each other for dear life and screamed!

Thankfully, before she could raise her hand to use her monstrous strength, two ninja stealthy landed between Sakura and the guilty three.

"Wait, Sakura-chan, Neji-san, we're just as guilty as these three, if not more!" Shouted Kiba. Shino nodded in agreement.

Sakura lowered her fists, confused. "Alright Kiba, talk!" She roared.

"Hai! This is what happened. Shino, Hinata and I were assigned with these brats-" He gestured over to Konohamaru's gang- "to do surveillance around the village last night. We were given cameras and told to record anything suspicious. At first we started our work as one team, with Akamaru and me at the front-" at this point Akamaru barked, backing up his owner's story. Akamaru walked over to Sakura and licked her hand, trying to curry favor. "At that point, Akamaru smelled something, and let me know what was up. It was you- and that freak of nature- doing your thing. I looked over at Hinata, who was not yet aware of anything and also wasn't using her byakugan at that moment. I stopped everyone and lied, saying that Akumaru sensed something on the other end of the village. I had Hinata and Shino- who already knew what you goofs were up to by virtue of his bugs-" Shino nodded- "and said I would continue on with the younger guys."

"At that point," Kiba continued, "I was pissed at you and Naruto. I mean, really pissed. Hinata-chan is like a little sister to me, and I couldn't believe how insensitive you jerks could be about her feelings- after everything that happened. I mean, that moron over there I can understand, but you Sakura-chan?" Sakura's anger seemed to drain out of her body and she slowly looked down at the ground. "Anyway, these pranksters wanted to know what was going on, one thing lead to another, Konohamaru snapped the Polaroid of you two sucking face, and we set our plan for revenge in motion. But I want you guys to know-" He gestured at Neji and Sakura- "That we made sure Shino and I would be the judges in the contest, so that Naruto would _win_ in the end and no one would see that picture. It was rigged!"

Neji nodded. "It was all planned, except for the fact that Naruto waved around a suspicious envelope and Hinata got curious. I can certainly commend you for wanting to punish that baka over there-" he gesticulated towards the sea of Naruto clones, who still hadn't moved an inch since Sakura's command- "and for protecting Hinata-sama, but the end result...? What do you have to say for yourselves?"

"GOMENASAI!" The five ninja shouted in unison, bowing. Sakura sighed. "Alright crew, I guess all of us- besides Neji-san- need to find Hinata and apologize. Especially me." She looked over at Naruto, who was staring at her beseechingly. "Naruto, break your stupid jutsu already and let's get-"

Her voice was halted by a giant sparkler that lit up the sky, resounding with a thunderous BOOM! "Nanda?" Sakura muttered-

"Oh no! That's a signal flare- and I can tell by the color and the sound that it's Lady Hinata's! Let's go, she's in trouble!" Neji bellowed.

In a flash, the ninja sped off towards the eastern side of the forest.

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What in the world is going on? Luckily for you, the next chapter is uploaded! Quick, run to chapter 12!


	12. Chapter 12: The Garment of Night

This is my number one favorite chapter that I've written:) What do you think? I really appreciate your reviews!

_Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. If I did, Sakura would stop being Sasuke's fan girl already. Hello? Earth to Sakura?_

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After the debacle in the village, Hinata made her way to her favorite thinking spot. She knew that ninja weren't supposed to leave the village at this time by themselves, in case enemies were lurking about, but she didn't care- she wanted to be alone. She didn't want anyone to see her tears.

She sat underneath her favorite oak tree, by a small pond, and gave herself permission to sob. She surprised herself though; a few tears trickled down, but curiously she was far from weeping. She smiled through her tears.

_It's not that I'm not upset...I am...I just..._

"I'm upset but..."

She looked up at the stars shining through the silhouette of trees. She could taste her salty tears through the corners of her grin.

"I'm in control of myself. And I have no fear."

She wrapped her arms around her knees, continuing to look up at the heavens. She noticed the gentle evening winds had blown the clouds into thin, lacy swirls, and when she thought about the clouds being like fabric, she realized the stars were like sequence, or metal studs, and the dark sky itself was like velvet, and the moon was like a luminescent broach. She wished she could take the fabric from the sky and sew it into a dress, that she could drape it around her shoulders and feel the softness of the black sky, taste the glimmering light of the stars on her tongue, inhale the halo of the moon's light, and become a one with the garment of the night.

Hinata leaned back against the tree, relaxing her arms and letting her hands fall down, fingers digging into the damp earth. Taking a deep breath, she imagined all her pores opening up: to the cool moisture in the air, to the density of the ground, to the solid yet swaying tree supporting her back, to the dress of the night whose star studded sashes of lace and velvet brushed against her body and painted her face with moonlight. Her big eyes, so full of tears and sadness and joy, were like vernal pools reflecting the beauty of the sky.

_When I faced Pein...when I declared my love to the world- at that moment, I lost all my fear. And I was selfish, selfish like the moon who only reflects the light of the sun and yet considers herself to be queen of the heavens. I stood, I fought, even though I knew it was hopeless, not because I was brave, but because the earth itself commanded me to stand, and like the moon I only reflected the light of courage that I had always received from Naruto. Because of him, I became I true ninja in the first place, I became strong like a gnarled oak tree, became...something more than myself. I nearly went down the wrong path, of sorrow and shame, of silence that settles like thick dust in an empty house. He helped me to choose differently- even if he didn't know it himself at the time._

_And so maybe I'm not weeping now, because I'm content. Because being full of love isn't a demand for any outcome, for receptivity or for sacrifice; _

_it's the interchange of water between the rivers and the oceans_

_it's the opening of the flowers to the dew, to the morning_

_it's the breath of the western wind that sings the sun to sleep_

_it's the rotation of the earth and the wheeling of the stars_

_love is the unconscious beating of my heart._

Hinata smiled. Maybe her Piscean nature was getting the better of her, thinking of all these poetic images. She made a few hand signs- "Byagukan!" and scanned the woods. Thankfully, no one was around- eyeing the small pond in front of her, she stripped down to her underclothes and prepared to wash the days events out of her hair.

The surface of the pond reflected the light of the sky perfectly; Hinata slipped in silently, and felt like she was diving directly into the sky and the moon and the stars. "Ahhhhhhhh. So nice." Hinata sighed and started manipulating the chakra on the surface of her skin, then extended her range to the water directly touching her body. She sank down a little deeper, eyes closed, until the water level was just over her lips but under her nose. Suddenly, like a swan emerging from still waters with her wings spread wide to fly, Hinata shot up in a matrix of water and danced. Tiny lunar rainbows followed the cadence of her movements, which resembled more graceful versions of ninjutsu. The fluidity of the water became an extension of her body, enveloping her in a cloak, solid yet moving rhythmically. She could feel the tension of the day melt away like the last of winter snow dissolving in the spring sunlight.

Suddenly, she tensed. She swore she heard movement in the brush. _Probably just an animal, but it would be foolish not to check._ "Byakugan!" Scanning the periphery, she saw a troop of five ninja approaching. Their chakra was not familiar. She quickly estimated that four were chunin level, one was jonin level. They were a few meters away. _Shit! _She must have been to distracted to notice until they were right on top of her.

Hinata didn't have time to get dressed- she quickly grabbed her bag of ninja tools and at the last possible second, shot a flare into the sky. The orange and white fire spiraled up over the trees, it's light momentarily obliterating the stars.

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I know, I know, another cliff hanger. I can be so cruel. Let me know how you like the story friends, I heart reviews:)


	13. Chapter 13: Konoha Kunoichi

Sorry about the cliff hanger, y'all! You can thank dazynl8, oceanmoon, Echo Uchiha and all my other wonderful reviewers for the double chapter upload today- I'll try not to leave you with too much of a cliff hanger this time!

Take a second before you read to send a prayer or a kind thought over to Japan if you like:)

_Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto and co. ; if I did, the following story would have been animated by now.

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"Kuso!" Hinata heard the approaching ninja swear. She didn't bother to hide- they obviously knew her location now- but then again so did her friends. A mixed blessing, but considering how outnumbered she was, the wisest course of action. Hinata crouched down into a fighting stance, byakugan still activated.

The five ninja landed silently around her in a circular formation.

"Kono Ama..." Hissed the leader of the group, the person whose chakra was on par with a jonin.

"What business do you have in Konoha?" Hinata growled. She saw they weren't wearing any headbands. _Who are they...?_

The ninja laughed. "I don't think it's your place to be asking questions, bimbo!" The ninja all began laughing in concert.

Hinata took a deep breath and ignored the fact that she was half naked. "I've had a really, really bad day...and I'm about to take it out on all of you. Surrender now and no one has to get hurt."

The cruel laughter from her opponents only increased. "We'll be taking you and your eyes to the Rain Country now, little bitch!"

Hinata took a deep breath and connected her chakra with the center of the earth. She felt anger rising in her like a palatable force, igniting her whole body.

"This will be the last time you underestimate a kunoichi of the Leaf Village!" She roared, the surface of her skin almost sparking from chakra and her fury.

The leader held back while the four underlings attacked all at once- Hinata disarmed one by disrupting the charkra networks in his arms, then swung him around as a human shield. A second later he became a pin cushion full of his companion's kunai knives- she threw his body aside as the three remaining underlings came in for the second attack. She brushed them aside effortlessly- "Eight trigrams palms heavenly spin!" She took the moment between her defensive move and her enemies bewilderment to get behind the ninja on the edge of the circle, the one farthest away from the leader. "Eight trigrams sixty-four palms!" At lightening speed, she took out the major connections in her opponent's chakra system before he could even turn around.

Breathing heavily, Hinata knew she couldn't let up for a second- she was still outnumbered, and pausing would mean death. She leapt up into the air and threw a series of kunai knives with explosive tags tied on the ends, aiming towards the front sides of her opponents who still ringed round in a circle and facing the center, hoping to force them apart. She calculated where the ninja on the left would land after the explosion and directed her body to land there-

BAM!

The ninja were thrown back by the force of the explosion- before the ninja on the left side even landed, Hinata yelled, "Eight trigrams sixty-four palms!" She took him out before his companion's feet touched the ground.

Hinata had to pause- she had already taken out three, which had used up a great deal of her chakra, but she was still facing two high ranking opponents. Through her heavy breathing, she seethed, "Turn back- now- or your fate- is sealed."

The leader chortled. "You're still outnumbered, hussy, although I am impressed. Looks like the byakugan is just as powerful as they say. Still, you'll be coming back to Amegakure with us!" He nodded to his companion and they made four hand signs simultaneously, and chanted, "Suiton: Suiryūdan no Jutsu - Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu!" Out of the pond that had been so serene just moments before, a water dragon rose into the sky. The beast paused for a moment high in the air, then came crashing down through the stratosphere towards Hinata.

With her byakugan, Hinata noticed a network of chakra actually held the water dragon together. She had no fear- after all, Hinata's element was water. "Eight trigrams, sixty-four palms!" As the dragon flew towards Hinata with monstrous strength, she took out it's faux chakra network before it even had a chance to touch her. The dragon dissolved- taking advantage of the huge splash it created to hide her movements, Hinata ran low to the ground, crouched down behind the last chunin level ninja, leaned her weight on her right hand, swept her opponent's footing with a low swinging side kick, then yelled, "Eight Trigrams, sixty-four palms!"

She took down her fourth opponent before the last arch of splashing water had reached the ground. _Four down, one to go._ Breathing even more heavily, she faced her final opponent. "Last-chance-to-run!" Hinata shouted between breaths. Inwardly, she concentrated on connecting with the earth, being centered, and planed out the careful use of the last bit of her chakra. "Don't-don't underestimate me!"

The ninja made a series of hand signs- "Suirō no Jutsu - Water Prison Jutsu!"

In seconds, Hinata's body was trapped inside a rotating prison of water.

The enemy ninja wiped his brow. "Guess it's time I stopped fucking around. You can come dead or alive for all I care- we're just after your eyes..." The ninja looked on triumphantly at Hinata's writhing body and, despite her best efforts, she breathed out the last of the air in her lungs-

and then disappeared into a puff of smoke?

"EIGHT TRIGRAMS, SIXTY-FOUR PALMS!" Hinata jumped up behind him and disrupted his major chakra points faster than the eye could see. "And again- eight trigrams, sixty-four palms!" The enemy's body writhed in pain, then sunk to the ground. "That- ha- was- hu- a- ha- shadow clone! Sexist -ha- pig!" Barely able to get the words out because she was breathing so hard, Hinata smiled. _Damn, I've become a fine ninja._

She took a few deep breaths, noticing that blood was running down her arms and legs. In the heat of battle, she hadn't even noticed that she was wounded; thankfully though, none of the wounds seemed deep.

Just then, she heard more footsteps approaching. Hinata gathered up the last bit of her chakra, thinking, _if more of the enemy is approaching, my only resort will be to hide. I'm almost completely wiped out._ She sent up a silent prayer to Kami and whispered, "Byakugan!"


	14. Chapter 14: Yokatta!

Damn, aren't you happy I uploaded the next chapter today? Feel free to show your undying love and affection by reading and reviewing:)

ENJOY!  
_Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto; if I did, Hinata would be kicking more ass on a regular basis.  
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To her relief, it was the familiar chakra of her friends. She sighed and sank down on her knees, beginning to feel the pain from her wounds. Y_okatta_!

The first to appear in the clearing was Naruto, who looked horrified as he yelled, "Hinata! Are you hurt! Oh- this is all my fault!" He rushed over to her, draping his arms on her shoulders for support.

"Naruto-kun, I'm fine." She smiled proudly. "It's those Rain ninja you should be worried about!" She gestured to the fallen enemy all around her.

"NA-RU-TOOOOO! GET YOUR PAWS OFF LADY HINATA! THIS INSTANT!" At the sound of Neji's voice, Hinata realized she was half naked and in the arms of her long-time love. All sensations of pride and courage drained out of her body- she fainted instantaneously.

"Hinata-chan! What's wrong?" Naruto wailed, clueless as usual.

"BAKA!" Sakura roared, "She's- just get your hands off!"

"Huh?" He took a closer look at Hinata to see what was wrong with her and realized that he was looking at the pale, naked skin-

he noticed the curve of her breast-

And passed out with a nosebleed next to Hinata.

Kiba snickered. "The kid makes half the village pass out from his stupid sexy jutsu, but he can't handle the real thing! Baka!"

Sakura, outwardly ignoring Kiba but inwardly agreeing, ran up to Hinata, kicking Naruto's body out of the way rather unceremoniously. She began barking orders as she inspected Hinata's medical condition. "Shino! Kiba! Konohamaru and Udon! Avert your eyes and secure the perimeter in case there are any more ninja still lurking about! Neji- tie up the enemy! Moegi- help me wash lady Hinata's wounds!"

"HAI!" The ninja replied.

"What should I do, Sakura-chan?" A barely conscious Naruto mumbled.

"SHUT UP AND PLAY DEAD! AND CLOSE YOUR PERVY EYES!" She hollered at him.

"Eeeep. Yes ma'am."

There was a bustle of activity (minus Naruto of course).

Moegi gulped, also feeling partly responsible for what had happened. "Is she- is she going to be ok Sakura-san?" Moegi asked tearfully.

"Hai!" Sakura smiled at the genin. She took another rag and rinsed it in the nearby pool of water. "Most of this blood doesn't seem to belong to her. Although she does have some injuries, it's nothing a little first aid and medical ninjutsu won't heal." _Of course, this is also Hinata's second major battle in the space of a week, so I will bring her into the med tent tonight for observation._ Sakura kept that thought to herself, not wanting to worry her younger peer.

Moegi sighed in relief. "Yokatta!"

Hinata stirred out of her daze. "Ah, Sakura-san, Moegi-san, arigato gozaimasu!" She smiled up at them. "I don't know what I would do without you Sakura-san, you're always there to patch me up after I've been reckless!" Hinata recalled that Sakura was the first person to come to her aid after Hinata had faced off with Pein.

"Please don't say that Hinata-san, this is all my fault!"

"Me too, Hinata-san, please forgive us!" Moegi chimed in.

Hinata looked at them incredulously. "You didn't do anything wrong at all! Please don't apologize!" She turned to the younger ninja and begged, "Please don't cry!", as Moegi could no longer contain her tears.

Sakura sighed, unsuccessfully stifling her own tears, and replied "Hush, that's enough talking for now. Just rest Hinata-san while I tend to the rest of your wounds."

Hinata nodded and laid back, looking up at the stars and feeling grateful for her friends.

After Hinata was all bandaged up, Sakura and Moegi helped her to get dressed. Hinata saw Neji and blushed. "Neji-san!" She stood up and bowed, "Please forgive me Neji-san for being out alone in such an unseemly fashion. I am truly sorry for embarrassing our clan!"

Uncharacteristically, Neji smiled at his cousin. "Hinata-sama, please don't apologize. You've just had a wonderful victory tonight-" he gestured to the prone bodies on the ground, now neatly bound and gagged- "and have brought great honor to our clan." He winked at her. "And I'll be sure to tell Hiashi-sama how bravely you fought...while leaving out the less salient details."

Hinata could not believe her ears. "Ah, arigato gozaimasu Nii-san!"

_Thanks for covering for me Neji!_ Hinata promised herself that she would get Neji a gift for being so wonderful.

Neji nodded. "And now we should get going. Guys!"

The other male ninja came in to report. "No other ninja have been detected!" Kiba declared triumphantly. He turned towards his teammate- "Hinata-chan, did you really take out these guys all by yourself?"

Hinata nodded.

Shino added, "My bugs have gathered intel on their chakra levels- four are at chunin level, and one is at jonin level. I am much impressed, Hinata-san."

Hinata blushed, but only a little bit. "Arigato! But now I think it's time to bring these guys in to Inoichi-san and Ibiki-san for interrogation...I think a few of them may still be alive..."

Sakura's eyes widened at that last bit. "Wow, Hinata-chan! You're amazing! You'll have to tell us the whole story on the way back home!"

The group all nodded in agreement- Hinata forced herself to stand tall and smile, even if she did blush a little.

Then Sakura's eyes landed on the figure on the ground, and her eyes lost their mirth. "Hey BAKA! Stand up! Make some clones and carry these enemy ass-clowns back to the village for Hinata-san!"

"Sakura-san, please don't yell at Naruto-kun-" Hinata protested.

"Hai!" Naruto sprang up and put his hand to his forehead in a salute. "Kage bunshin no jutsu!" His five clones took care of the prisoners while the real Naruto looked down at the ground.

"Hinata-san..." Naruto said slowly, kicking a rock on the ground, "Gomen nasai Hinata-san." He looked up at her and Hinata could tell his eyes were tearing up. Everyone there echoed Naruto- "Gomen nasai!" They all said quietly.

Hinata laughed. "There's nothing to be sorry for! Don't you all go and make it sound like my victory was your fault now- the glory here is all mine!"

She was instantly surrounded by smiles. Sakura grinned and ordered, "Ok, let's move people! I'll walk with Hinata-chan to keep an eye on her injuries." _When did Hinata get to be so confident? And awesome? _Sakura thought as she slid her arm around Hinata's shoulders.

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Sweet! Well, stay tuned- only two chapters left until the end of the story, so I'll probably upload at least one tomorrow! Oh my, what are you indignantly shouting? You want _two_ chapters? You don't want to be left with any cliff hangers? Well, drop me a review and we'll see what I can't do:) Arigato!


	15. Chapter 15: Conversations

Yeah...Hinata pretty much kicks ass. What, you thought she was going to have to be rescued by Naruto? Listen, she isn't some damsel in distress or a kitten stuck in a tree- she is a Ninja and she can kick butt! For real.

:)

Thanks so much for your nice reviews, messages, and subscriptions:) Much love!

_Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. If I did, the anime would air twice a week!_

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Hinata lay in bed at the medical tent, replaying the conversation she had just had with all her friends. Just thinking about it, she unconsciously tapped her index fingers together, and she tried to restrain her cheeks from their habitual blushing.

After she told her friends the story of her battle, they all looked on- at her!- in admiration. _It sure is nice to be the hero in the story..._ Hinata enjoyed reading comics sometimes, but she rarely saw a female heroine in any shonen manga that really kicked serious butt, and most of the manga made for girls was just about drama and romance. But here she was, a real live kunoichi, kicking ass. She giggled when she thought about Sakura, who would probably say "CHA!" at an occasion like this.

But what stood out more than her friends admiration and the cheering she had received, was the conversation she had had with Sakura-chan in the medical tent after everyone had left to bring the enemy ninja to the intelligence squad. There had been an awkward silence, then Sakura chimed, "Let me get some fresh water and soap for those wounds- I want to get them properly cleaned so that those cuts don't become infected." She left, but quickly returned and set to work redressing Hinata's injuries. Hinata couldn't help but smile.

"Arigato Sakura-chan!" She blushed a little at using the informal honorific with her friend. "And- I wanted to tell you congratulations!"

Sakura looked at her askance. "Congratulations? For what?"

"Hmm...for your...relationship...with...Naruto-" She blushed furiously, despite herself, "I'm- h-happy for you t-two!" Hinata was annoyed that her old habit of stuttering had returned, but she was glad that she at least gotten the words out.

Sakura froze, then sighed. "Hinata, here's God's honest truth about what happened. It was one, isolated incident. I mean, could I kiss Naruto? Sure, you've seen the incriminating evidence. Could I date the guy? Sure, but it would only last a week or two, tops. Could I marry him? Nope. No way. He would drive me insane. And probably I'd get arrested for spouse abuse- heh, heh." Sakura cringed inwardly- _maybe I should stop wailing on that dobe so much. _"Anyway, the point is Hinata, we are so not an item- we are just friends. That baka might still like me, I don't know, but I've told him that he deserves..." Sakura took a deep breath. "I told him that he deserves a woman who will love him back just as deeply as he would love her. And I am not capable of being that person."

Hinata looked down- there was an uncomfortable moment of silence that hung between the two kunoichi. It made Sakura nervous, so she continued- "I remember, as I was tending to your wounds after you stood up to Pein- I thought to myself, 'Hinata, you must really love Naruto a tremendous amount.' Naruto deserves to be with someone who can love him that much, someone like you Hinata."

Hinata realized she was crying. _This is crazy- why am I crying more now, now that I know I actually have a chance with Naruto, as opposed to before when I thought I had lost him for good?_

Sakura saw Hinata's tears splash down in her lap and was concerned she had hurt the girl's feelings, until Hinata looked up and smiled. "Arigato, Sakura-chan."

Relieved, Sakura smiled back. "It's no problem. I'm sorry we weren't more considerate of your feelings when...ahem...that incident happened." They both laughed at that.

"One more thing Hinata..."

Slightly apprehensive about what it might be, Hinata nodded.

"Can we train together sometime? I never knew you were so strong, and I'd love to practice my hand-to-hand combat with you!"

"H-hai! That would be- wonderful!" Hinata was thrilled that such a strong ninja wanted to train with _her!_

"I'm so glad!" Sakura chuckled. "It'll be fun to get to know you better."

"H-hai!"

"Well, I'm all finished here. I should let you get some rest. Neji said he'd inform your father about today's events, but that they would both come to visit you tomorrow to let you get some sleep. If you need anything, I'll be sleeping in the next tent over- don't hesitate to call if you need anything, ok!"

"Hai! Arigato Sakura-chan!" Hinata smiled again at her use of the informal honorific.

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Hinata's reverie ended, and she became aware of the shadows the moon cast on the walls of the medical tent. She was just too worked up to sleep- what a day today had been! And she couldn't stop the memories from tumbling before her sleepless eyes...

Just then, the tent flap was folded back. Hinata saw that it was Naruto but she pretended to be asleep. _What's he doing here?_ She thought to herself frenetically. _Look asleep! Look asleep!_

Naruto shuffled around the tent quietly, made two shadow clones, than sat by the far wall. It looked like they were meditating, as if they were getting ready to use Sage Mode. Hinata fought down her emotions of panic and chided herself, _What in the world is wrong with you Hinata? You faced 5 enemy ninja today without a shred of fear, but you can't face one- er, three- very cute comrades?_ Her inner voice laughed. Hinata took some deep breaths and did her meditation- _I am a tree, my roots are strong and reach all the way to the center of the earth..._

In a few moments she felt more cool and collected. "N-Naruto-kun? Is that you?" She whispered. The two clones remained in meditation, but the real Naruto's eyes fluttered open. He crept over to where she was sleeping. "Hey, Hinata-chan, I felt really bad about what happened today, so I thought I'd stand guard over you tonight. Just in case." Hinata was glad it was dark in the tent, so Naruto couldn't see her blushing.

"A-arigato!"

He nodded, but she could tell something wasn't right.

"Is something bothering you Naruto?" There was a moment of silence, so Hinata forced herself to continue, "You can tell me, if you want. I'm so worked up from my fight, I can't manage to fall asleep- so- so I wouldn't mind talking...for a little while."

"Arigato, Hinata-chan." He sat on the floor by her bed, so that their faces were level with each other. Hinata took a deep breath and steadied herself, letting go of her fears.

"Hinata-chan- I'm truly sorry. About everything. I'm sorry that I was so careless about your feelings. I guess I'm pretty stupid when it comes to these things..."  
"You don't have to apologize, Naruto. You didn't do anything wrong."

She paused, and the silence hung heavily in the air. Hinata continued, "Just because I- I-" _I can do this without stuttering!_ Hinata thought, reassuring herself. She took a deep breath and continued, "Just because I love you and let you know how I was feeling, doesn't mean that you are...that you are obligated to do anything about it. I just love you, and I always have, and I always will, and that's all."

Hinata paused again, then said slowly, "Arigato, Naruto-kun."

Naruto looked confused- "I think I should be thanking you, Hinata-chan. For stepping in to fight for me last week- and then, looking back, I should thank you for always being kind to me. You are probably the only person in this village who has never made fun of me, whose always been on my side. Thank you, Hinata-chan."

Hinata smiled. _I really like it when he calls me Hinata-chan!_ "Naruto, I owe my accomplishments as a ninja to you- I learned how to never give up, how to be strong- from you! It doesn't matter to me if you love Sakura or not- I'm just thankful to have you in my life." That last part she blurted out without thinking, and it made her blush more deeply than she had before.

Naruto grinned sheepishly. "Heh, I think I just love Sakura-chan as a sister-type...not that I'd do anything like _that_ if I had a sister!...ummmm..."

Hinata giggled. "I know what you mean, Naruto."

Naruto scratched his head. "Anyway, that thing with Sakura- it was just something I had to get out of my system, you know? Heh. Besides, I think dating her would endanger my life." Hinata giggled, and Naruto made a sour face and exclaimed, "No! Seriously! It'd be bad for my health..." After witnessing the fighting between Naruto and Sakura today, Hinata stopped giggling- she really did believe him!

Naruto stopped for a moment, looking up at Hinata. "I'm ashamed to say I don't know how I feel about you Hinata- I'm such a fool, I never even stopped to think about it. But I think- I think I'd like to get to know you better. We should hang out more, you know?"

"Hai! That sounds nice, Naruto-kun..."

"You know what Hinata-chan, let me take you out for breakfast tomorrow- to celebrate your victory. What do you say?"  
_Yes! Yes! Yes! _"Can we go to Ichiraku's? I'm in the mood for ramen..."

"Hai!" Naruto laughed. "I didn't know you liked ramen! That's amazing! It's my favorite food!"

Hinata put a finger over her lips. "Shhh, you don't want to wake anyone up!"

"Oh! Sorry!" Naruto returned his voice to a whisper after getting overexcited about his favorite thing. "I'm just surprised- we've known each other practically our whole lives, and I didn't realize we had so much in common!"

Hinata's cheeks blushed rebelliously. She (and the whole village!) knew that ramen was his favorite food, and furthermore she suggested it because it was the_ only_ restaurant that had thus far been rebuilt in Konoha (largely because everyone knew Naruto loved ramen), but she was still flattered.

"Anyway, Hinata-chan, I should let you sleep- you don't need to worry now, me and my shadow clones will look out for you tonight."

"I would like that very much...Naruto-kun?"

"What's up? If there's anything you need, just ask!"

"Could you...would you stay by my bed until I fall asleep?" Hinata turned three darker shades of pink.

"Sure! My pleasure. Here-" He held out his hand to her and she took it gingerly- it was surprisingly warm, and soft. "Arigato, Naruto-kun."

"Sleep well, Hinata-chan."

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Awww, so cute. Well, if you are a Hinata fan and I finally made you happy, tell me so in a review:) And don't worry friends, the next and last chapter is just a click away...:)


	16. Chapter 16: A Kick Ass Day

Here we are! The very last chapter! I'd love it if you could R&R, I want to write some more fanfic (in a week or two, when I have some free time again; it's going to be a very silly romantic comedy called, "The Return of Sasuke-the Slut") so I'd really appreciate your feedback.

Also, I put up a poll about this story on my profile- it would be soooooo wonderful if you would take a minute to check it out!

Arigato all my wonderful readers! Please drop me a line:)

_Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto; if I did, Anko would get more screen time- she is the most bad-ass Kunoichi in the story after all!_

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Hinata woke when a pale sunbeam brushed against her face from the tents entrance. She rubbed her eyes as two figures approached her.

"Ohio, Otosan-sama, Nii-san!" Hinata moved to get up, but her father motioned her to lay back down.

"Ohio, Hinata-sama!" Neji smiled.

"Ohio, Hinata-san. Neji-san told me about your wonderful performance last night while you were on guard duty."

_Guard duty?_ _I wasn't on guard duty- I was running around without my clothes on! _She looked subtly over to Neji, who gave her a thumbs up and a wink. _Seriously, Neji rules._

Her father continued, "I'm very proud of you Hinata-san, as is Neji, and of course the whole tribe and village. Well done." His eyes looked over to the far wall of the tent, where two shadow clones were still meditating, and one Naruto was standing sleepily at attention. "Ohio, Hisashi-sama! Neji-san!" He bowed respectfully. Hinata felt a feeling of horror rise in her stomach, and was confused when her father chuckled.

"Otosan, I can explain-" Hinata pleaded.

Hiashi waved his hand. "It's alright Hinata. I'm sure your friend was just worried and wanted to keep an eye on you after you had exhausted your chakra. Arigato, Naruto-san, thank you for looking after Hinata-san." Naruto bowed and in response said, "Hai! My pleasure, sure."

"Alright, Neji and I have many duties to take care of today- I'll send Neji to check on you this afternoon if you're not released before then. Sayonara, Hinata-san, Naruto-san."

"Sayonara, Hinata-sama, Naruto-san!" Neji winked at them both.

"S-sayonara, Otosan-sama, Nii-san! Thank you very much for visiting!" As her family members exited the tent, she breathed a silent sigh of relief.

"Wow Hinata, your dad's a really mellow guy."

Hinata looked at him incredulously, then turned to stare after her departed father and cousin. _My dad? Mellow? Neji? Being...nice? Does this mean I have permission to date Naruto?_ She would have to quiz Neji later on about exactly _what_ he told her father.

Naruto yawned and stretched, then dispelled his shadow clones. "Guess I didn't need those guys, but never hurts to be prepared!" Hinata noticed Naruto's eyes had an orange glow, and realized he was in sage mode.

"Actually, I was going to ask your dad something- be back in time to take you out for breakfast, Hinata-chan!" And with that, he zipped out of the tent at sage-speed.

Hinata breathed another long, long sigh of relief. "Arigato!" She said aloud, thanking Kami for her good fortune.

"What's that, Hinata-chan?" Sakura poked her head into the medical tent.

"Ah, nothing Sakura-chan. Ohio!"

"Ohio!" Sakura smiled. "Let's check out your wounds and see if I can release you in time for breakfast." She winked at Hinata, who much to her credit only blushed the slightest shade of pink.

After a cursory look at her wounds, Sakura decided that her patient was ready to be released. "I'm surprised, Hinata-chan, your wounds are really minimal. You fought well!"

"Arigato! I think I was just mostly exhausted last night after...everything." Hinata smiled.

"Neji dropped off some fresh clothes for you this morning," Sakura said as she handed her the outfit, "Why don't you get dressed and I'll sign you out!"

"Arigato for everything Sakura-chan."

As Hinata got dressed, a piece of paper fell out of her clean shirt. Intrigued, Hinata picked it up and read aloud, "You owe me one Hinata-chan!" _Hinata...chan? _Next to the one-liner was a stick-figure giving a thumbs up sign and sticking out its tongue. It was signed, simply, "Neji". _Arigato, Neji-nii-san!_ She thought silently, laughing. She didn't think Neji had ever called her Hinata-_chan_ before, and it was endearing.

She had just finished pulling on the last of her clothing when she heard Naruto's voice- "Can I come in, Hinata-chan?"

"Hai, Naruto-kun!"

He had the biggest grin on his face. "Hey, Hinata, your dad's really nice! I asked him permission to take you on a date, and he said it was totally ok- as long as I followed a few conditions..."

Hinata blushed at the word "date". _We're really going on a date! _"What- what were the conditions Naruto-kun?"

Naruto started counting on his hand- "I have to treat you with respect, and that's easy. Also, I can't be...fresh... which I think I know what he means, so I won't try anything that's not PG-13...heehee...and lastly-" At this point Naruto blushed deeply. _Naruto's blushing? The tables have turned!_ Hinata thought, amused. "What's the last one, Naruto-kun?"

He looked up at her sheepishly. "I had to solemnly swear on my honor as a ninja that I will never, _ever_, do pervy ninjutsu in public again." He brushed his hand through his hair. Hinata giggled. Naruto's face broke out into his trademark grin-

and before they knew it they were both laughing hysterically.

"Na-naruto-kun! It hurts to laugh! Ha ha!"

"Hinata-chan, I think I'm crying I'm laughing so hard!" Hinata walked over to him and put her arm on his shoulder for support, because she was bent over with laughter and was having trouble standing.

Concentrating, she took a deep breath and steadied herself. "Hey, Naruto-kun?"

Wheezing, Narto asked, "Wh-ha-ha-hat's up, ha ha?"

She took his face in her hands and kissed him lightly on the mouth. "Let's go get some ramen, I'm starved!"

Dazed, Naruto nodded, but replied, "In a minute..." He smiled sneakily and put his arms around her, then kissed her back, deep and slow. Hinata felt something electrical flutter in her heart and down her spine. She had a feeling today was going to kick-ass.

END!

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WOOT! This was so much fun to write- I hope you guys enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it! I will have more stories coming soon, so make sure you bookmark me or add me as a favorite author + subscribe if you want more!

Much love- thanks so much for reading, for your reviews, messages, etc! Have a wonderful day!


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